Yarn-type weather stripping



Feb. 22, 1966 G. KESSLER 3,235,918

YARN-TYPE WEATHER STRIPPING Filed Feb. 5, 1963 INVENTOR Gerald Kessler ATTORNEY United States Patent ()fifice 3,235,918 Patented Feb. 22, 1966 3,235,918 YARN-TYPE WEATHER STRIPPING Gerald Kessler, 7240 Glenwood Ave., Youngstown, Ohio Filed Feb. 5, 1963, Ser. No. 256,356 2 Claims. (Cl. 20-69) This invention relates to weather stripping of the type used chiefly with sliding windows and sliding doors such as patio doors and has for its primary object the provision of an improved weather strip of this type combining high quality performance and low cost.

As is well known, for many applications in connection with modern aluminum window frames and doors, homogeneous vinyl weather stripping is largely employed; however, for sliding doors and windows, and especially where the weight of the door or window rests upon the weather stripping, flexible vinyl weather stripping has a serious drawback due to its high coefficient of friction and to its tendency to stick to the metal or metal coating against which it presses. For this reason, pile weather stripping is largely used, since it allows the sash to slide quite easily. However, this type of weather stripping is relatively expensive. 7

An inexpensive type of weather stripping which is coming into use is similar tothe plush pile type, but instead of employing a velvet woven pile as in the best plush types, the pile consisting of flocking which is adhered to one side of a fabric tape. The height of the pile which can be made in this fashion is limited due to the inherent nature of the process employed and the durability of the material is less satisfactory than plush pile; furthermore, the flock tends to pull out fairly easily if it is subject to too much frictional strain. In order to keep the cost low, a flexible tape backing is used, and this is difficult to install in the window frame slots, so that expensive machinery is often required for such installation. It is a major object of the present invention to overcome the above disadvantages by providing a rigid weather stripping which may have either a fluffy or a smooth yarn surface as the bearing surface between the slidable and stationary members to provide a resilient sealing member having the major advantages of good plush pile weather stripping combined with the low cost of flock weather stripping.

In accordance with the invention, a rigid extruded plastic strip is provided with short upstanding legs to form a channel, a suitable adhesive material is applied to the bottom of this channel, and one or more lengths of yarn, preferably WOOl yarn treated with silicone resins after installation to render it water-resistant, is laid along the channel so that one side protrudes above the short legs, while the opposite side is adhered tothe bottom of the channel. The individual fibers f the yarn, which is preferably but not necessarily somewhat fuzzy, provide a relatively low friction bearing surface, and the primary effect of wear on the yarn is to break up the individual fibers which then protrude to provide further bearing surfaces.

The specific nature of the invention, as well as other objects and advantages thereof, will clearly appear from a description of a preferred embodiment as shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the principle of the invention;

FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 are sectional views showing modified forms of the invention;

FIGS. 5 and 6 show still another modified form of the invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the weather strip is composed of a base portion 2 which may be extruded metal but is preferably an extruded hard plastic such as vinyl having side flanges 3, for engagement with the customary slot of a window or door frame (as shown in FIG. 2) and having also short upstanding legs 4, which with the base of the extrusion provide a shallow U-shaped channel at the center portion of the strip. A relatively thick wool yarn 6 is laid in this cannel, and is adhered to the bottom of the channel by a layer of suitable adhesive material 7, which may be placed in the channel immediately before the yarn is laid therein, the yarn being preferably laid in the channel continuously as the strip is extruded, as soon as the extruded strip has set sufiiciently for this purpose, or the yarn can be laid in after the extrusion is processed.

Preferably, the yarn is laid continuously in the channel while the plastic is still warm, the adhesive being applied first, so that the warmth of the plastic helps to set the adhesive. The yarn may be of any suitable material, but is preferably a strand of wool composed of many twisted wool fibers, and preferably, but not necessarily, left in a rather fuzzy condition so that fuzzy ends 8 protrude from the surface. The yarn is preferably treated with suitable water repellent material such as a silicone resin so as to leave the material still flexible and pliant, but which renders it water repellent, greatly increasing its resistance to'moisture absorption. The yarn may be twisted, as shown, or plaited, etc.

FIG. 2 shows a slight modification of the structure of FIG. 1, in that the extrusion is provided with very short inwardly turned barbs 9, which serve to better retainthe yarn in place, and also provide a greater bearing surface in those situations where the yarn is compressed down to the level of the legs 4. FIG. 2 shows a typical manner in which the weather strip is applied to a slot 11 of a frame 12, so as to provide a bearing surface against a. relatively movable member 13, it being understood that either member 12 or member 13 is movable and that the other one is part of the stationary structure.

FIG. 3 shows another modification which has the advantage that a standard channel 14 may be employed to receive a standard sized yarn 16, while dimension a may be varied to vary the overall height of the weather strip in accordance with the clearances provided in the situation where it is to be used.

FIG 4 shows another modification which is similar to that of FIG. 2, except that the channel is made sufficiently wide so that several strands of yarn can be employed instead of a single strand, which may be necessary where a greater bearing surface is desired.

Another form of the invention is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, wherein the base tape 17 of extruded plastic is provided with three separate channels 18, 19 and 2 0, the legs of which may be formed as previously described, or alternatively, may be formed by inwardly turned barbs as shown at 22 and 23. These barbs serve somewhat better to retain the yarn in place. The entire assembly is formed continuously immediately after extrusion of the plastic base member 17, and the three strands of yarn are laid in place while the base member is still flat as shown in FIG. 5. Immediately thereafter, and while the strip 17 is still moving forward, and is in a warm condition, it is formed by conventional machinery into the shape shown in FIG. 6, to provide a U-shaped channel which can receive a sliding frame 24 as shown. Suitable equipment for forming such a channel at this stage of the operation is well known, and is not a part of the present invention. The result is a U-shaped channel for sliding doors or windows, provided with insulating and bearing surfaces formed by the three strands of yarn.

In all of the above modifications, it should be noted that the upstanding legs which define the channel serve also as barriers against both air and water infiltration,

since in practice the yarn is crushed down sufficiently so that only a very small clearance is provided through which either air or water may pass. The two legs protruding from the base help in all cases to guide the yarn into place, so that it can be readily fed by mechanical means from a spool of yarn placed above the extrusion strip as it moves along While the yarn is being fed into the channel. It should be noted that While some of the fuzzy fibers 8 provide a low friction contact similar to pile, most of the bearing surface is provided by yarn fibers which are lying approximately parallel to the base, and to the direction in which the sliding friction occurs, thereby providing a combination of resistance to wear together with low sliding friction. Due to the rigid plastic backing of this weather strip, it can be quickly and inexpensively inserted by hand, and therefore eliminates the need for expensive installation machinery. Alternatively, a motor-driven set of rolls conventionally employed for this purpose can be used to install the rigid plastic rapidly and inexpensively.

It will be apparent that the embodiments shown are only exemplary and that various modifications can be made in construction and arrangement Within the scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A Weatherstrip comprising an elongated rigid plastic channel strip having a base portion with an upper exposed surface, and two integral upstanding legs of the same material as said base portion extending upward from said surface, a resilient bulky strand of yarn composed of a mass of generally parallel intertwined long fibers laid on said surface in the elongated direction thereof, contacting and supported laterally by said'legs'and a strip of adhesive material extending along the general line of contact of said yarn and said surface to firmly adhere the yarn to the surface, said legs extending up from the base to a lesser distance than the diametric thickness of said strand to form a channel in which the strand is retained, with a sufiicient amount of the strands circumference protruding above said legs to provide a sealing and sliding Weatherstrip surface while the bulk of the strand provides the sole cushioning action of the weatherstrip, said long fibers extending generally in the axial direction of the Weatherstrip to reduce sliding friction with an engaged surface when the strip is in use.

2. The invention according to claim 1, including a plurality of said strands laid side-by-side in touching relationship, said strands fully occupying the space between said legs and being laterally supported by said legs.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 390,637 10/1888 Woodard 2069 1,698,494 1/ 1929 Freyer 29644.5 2,433,333 12/1947 Best 29644.5 2,758,871 8/1956 Gray 29644.5 2,931,434 4/1960 Steel.

FOREIGN PATENTS 827,800 2/1960 Great Britain.

HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner. 

1. A WEATHERSTRIP COMPRISING AN ELONGATED RIGID PLASTIC CHANNEL STRIP HAVING A BASE PORTION WITH AN UPPER EXPOSED SURFACE, AND TWO INTEGRAL UPSTANDING LEGS OF THE SAME MATERIAL AS SAID BASE PORTION EXTENDING UPWARD FROM SAID SURFACE, A RESILIENT BULKY STRAND OF YARN COMPOSED OF A MASS OF GENERALLY PARALLEL INTERTWINED LONG FIBERS LAID ON SAID SURFACE IN THE ELONGATED DIRECTION THEREOF, CONTACTING AND SUPPORT LATERALLY BY SAID LEGS AND A STRIP OF ADHESIVE MATERIAL EXTENDING ALONG THE GENERAL LINE OF CONTACT OF SAID YARN AND SAID SURFACE TO FIRMLY ADHERE THE YARN TO THE SURFACE, SAID LEGS EXTENDING UP FROM THE BASE TO A LESSER DISTANCE THAN THE DIAMETER THICKNESS OF SAID STRAND TO FORM A CHANNEL IN WHICH THE STRAND IS RETAINED, WITH A SUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF THE STRAND''S CIRCUMFERENCE PROTRUDING ABOVE SAID LEGS TO PROVIDE A SEALING AND SLIDING WEATHERSTRIP SURFACE WHILE THE BULK OF THE STRAND PROVIDES THE SOLE CUSHIONING ACTION OF THE WEATHERSTRIP, SAID LONG FIBERS EXTENDING GENERALLY IN THE AXIAL DIRECTION OF THE WEATHERSTRIP TO REDUCE SLIDING FRICTION WITH AN ENGAGED SURFACE WHEN THE STRIP IS IN USE. 